Known as “The City of Four Seasons” and self-proclaimed as “The Friendliest City for Retirees”, Hendersonville and Henderson countyare part of the four-county Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area – the fifth largest MSA in North Carolina. It’s well-preserved Main Street and Downtown area is filled with restaurants, antique shops and numerous boutiques – especially since its revitilization in the early 1990′s. More recently, the town’s historic “7th Avenue Commercial District” has seen redevelopment efforts. With it’s 19th and 20th century architecture, funky boutiques, brewhouses, and restaurants, Hendersonville is quickly becoming a lower-priced alternative to Asheville.

What is it known for?

Hendersonville is probably most well-known as the host city for the “North Carolina Apple Festival“. This annual event, now in it’s 66th year, draws up to 50,000 spectators, capping it’s four-day run with the King Apple Parade! Besides it’s historic and appealing downtown area, Hendersonville also offers plenty of natural beauty. It’s largest draw for outdoor lovers is Dupont State Forest. With over 10,000 acres and no less then 6 waterfalls, Dupont attracts visitors from all over the country – Hollywood too! The Last of the Mohicans and more recently, The Hunger Games have both filmed inside the Forest. Just outside of Hendersonville lies Flat Rock, a small town with two big draws – The Flat Rock Playhouse and the Carl Sandburg home, Connemara.

Where do you want to live?

Hendersonville offers plenty of choices for any lifestyle. For the urban set, you can choose a condo or an apartment smack in the center of downtown or in one of the many surrounding neighborhoods such as Five Points, Druid Hills and Hyman Avenue. For those looking for something a bit more rural, you can choose from several small communities like Dana which is close to downtown orEdneyville where the majority of the counties apple farms reside. For the golfer, Hendersonville is home to Champion Hills Country Club and Kenmure in Flat Rock. The par-71 course inside of Champion Hills was designed by Tom Fazio and is consistantly ranked as one of “North Carolina’s 10 Best Golf Course” by Golf Digest while the par-72, Joe Lee-designed course of Kenmure was voted as one of the “Top 50″ by Golfweek.

Side Trips

As part of the Asheville MSA, Downtown Asheville is only a short drive from Hendersonville. Even shorter is the mountain lake town ofLake Lure and the quaint city of Brevard.

Asheville Regional Airport serves Asheville and the surrounding areas and has direct flights to many major US cities such as Chicago and New York City, which are an hour and and hour and a half flight respectively. Public transportation comes in the form of the Apple Country Public Transit, a “dial-a-ride” service for Henderson County residents.

Practical Info

As mentioned previously, Hendersonville has become a lower-priced alternative to Asheville. Once known as a “retiree-only” destination,Hendersonville has begun to attract a younger crowd. Like most places, the prices vary depending on where you are looking and what you are looking for. The median sale price in August for a modest home in Hendersonville was $117,000 according to Trulia. However, expect to pay ”Asheville-like” prices for homes in more affluent areas such as Champion Hills and Hyman Avenue where prices start in the low $400k’s and climb to over $3,000,000. 1-2 bedroom apartments close to downtown start at around $700/month while a townhome or condo will start around $900.